Topps Baseball Card Of The Day, December 2021
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12/31/21 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 1990 Topps #725 Terry Pendleton, Cardinals
More Terry Pendleton Topps Cards: 1987 1988 1989 1991 1991T 1992 1993 1994 1995 1995T 1996 1997
Terry Pendleton was a good player for over a decade in MLB, and he may well be the most improbable league MVP ever. And if he isn't, he's definitely Top 5.
You see, Pendleton—St. Louis's regular 3B since 1984—was benched for the final weeks of the 1990 season, and his third base job was given to a rookie converted catcher (Todd Zeile). After the season, Pendleton hooked up with the lowly Braves—for 4Y/$10.2M, very good money back then—and walked away as the NL MVP after helping Atlanta go from last place in 1990 to Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.
Before 1991, Pendleton had received exactly one point in MVP voting during his seven years in MLB. (And it was probably from a relative.) Let's just say he was nobody's preseason favorite to wrestle the award away from Barry Bonds.
Here, the 29-year-old has just wrapped his fifth full season as the Cardinals 3B. After missing 52 games in 1988, Pendleton was a near-ironman in 1989, starting all but five games and setting career highs in runs and homers. He also won his second Gold Glove on the strength of .971 fielding and 392 assists—both career highs as well!
THIS CARD: Pendleton was one of the few players of his time (teammate Willie McGee was another) to use the double-flap helmet. By the time this card was released, most switch-hitters alternated single-flap helmets. But not all.
Since Pendleton left St. Louis, the #9 has been worn by exactly zero Cardinals—it was retired for Hall-of-Famer Enos Slaughter in 1996, 43 years after Slaughter's last game with the Cards. Hey, people get busy, I suppose.
More from Pendleton's 1989 season: my Giants may have been the 1989 NL Champions, but they had no answer for Pendleton. He went 3-for-3 against them 5/5 and 4-for-5 against them 7/8, in both instances missing the cycle by just a triple. For the year, Pendleton went 19-for-43 (.442) with three jacks against San Francisco pitching! (Normally, this is where I'd call him a bastard, but I respect Pendleton too much for that.)
(flip) Why is Pendleton's 162 games played in 1989 not bold/italicized, you ask? Because fellow Cards infielder Jose Oquendo tied with Pittsburgh's Bobby Bonilla for the NL lead with 163 games played. (St. Louis played 164 official games that year, I should inform you.)
That is one of THE laziest blurbs of all time. And it's likely false. I'd bet anything Pendleton would not spend more than seven seconds blaring Bach through his speakers. And do YOU think he'd sit captivated while two toddlers banged pots together on the sidewalk?
Pendleton was that hot in September despite A) not facing the Giants, and B) only registering one three-hit game. He batted .318 for the month, and even stole four bases after swiping his other five way back in May.
AFTER THIS CARD: We covered Pendleton's 1990-91 rollercoaster ride. But we haven't yet covered Pendleton's 1992 MVP runner-up finish, which just about the entire world has forgotten about. It wasn't just the Big Three/Fab Four starting pitchers leading the 1990s Braves, people. Pendleton played no small part in Atlanta's historic turnaround.
In 1993, the 33-year-old came back down to more traditional career numbers, though he continued to supply more power than he ever had as a Cardinal. After Pendleton missed nearly 40 games in 1994 due to neck and back issues, the Braves—who had Chipper Jones waiting in the wings—chose not to re-sign him.
Enter Florida, who signed Pendleton for the comically low price of 1Y/$1.5M (with a 1996 option that was exercised). He hit .290 with 14 homers for the 1995 Marlins, but was traded back to the Braves in mid-1996. Pendleton's career ended with 50 games as a 3B/PH for the 1997 Reds, and 79 more as a part-time DH/3B for the 1998 Royals. The 1991-92 NL hits leader finished up with 1,897.
Pendleton coached for the Braves from 2001-17, before shifting to a minor league role.
Terry Pendleton appeared annually in Topps 1985-97. He's also got 1991 and 1995 Traded cards.
CATEGORIES: 1990 Topps, St. Louis Cardinals
More December 2021 Topps Cards Of The Day
12/1/21 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 1999 Topps Traded #25 Luke Prokopec, Dodgers Prospect
More Luke Prokopec Topps Cards: 2001T 2002
For the first two months of the 2001 season, Dodgers SP Luke Prokopec generated quite a bit of buzz. After eight starts—six of them quality—the 22-year-old was 6-1, 3.33 for a Dodger team sharing first place in the NL West.
Here, however, Prokopec (PROK-uh-PEK) is just a prospect entering Season #3 on the mound after beginning his pro career in the outfield. The kid was one of 1998's top California League (Class A) starters, and he only got better after being promoted to AA.
THIS CARD: Prokopec resembles a hybrid of past Dodger SP's Ismael Valdez and Rich Hill.
That's uniform #73 obscured by Prokopec's arm. There's been no Dodger to ever wear #73 during the regular season; Prokopec was issued #57 upon his 2000 promotion.
1999 Topps Traded & Rookies marked the first such Topps release since 1995. However, there was now a large emphasis on "rookies", or more accurately described, dudes from the minors who in many cases would never reach MLB. While I'm grateful to have selected Prokopec—someone who did escape the minors—in this instance, I'm not looking forward to having to spend time on his fellow "rookies" down the road.
(flip) Prokopec was one of two Australians (Jeff Williams) on the 2001 Dodgers. When both were pitching well, it gave fans "interesting" material for their signs.
For a dude with such a high K rate in the minors, Prokopec 5.9 rate in the majors was unexpected, to put it nicely. Minor leaguers are minor leaguers for a reason, though.
As an outfielder, Prokopec batted .227 with eight home runs in 186 games 1995-97. He was definitely NOT going to reach the bigs without converting to pitcher.
AFTER THIS CARD: After Prokopec held his own in five late-2000 appearances, he enjoyed that aforementioned early-2001 success before hitting a wall and losing his rotation spot. The Dodgers traded him (and a failed prospect) to Toronto in exchange for Cesar Izturis and Paul Quantrill—one of the decade's major fleecings that nobody talks about anymore.
Prokopec was not effective at all for the 2002 Blue Jays, and underwent surgery for a torn labrum that September. After trials in the Dodgers and Reds systems 2003-04, his pro career petered out.
Luke Prokopec appeared in 1999 and 2001 Topps Traded & Rookies, then closed his Topps run in the 2002 set.
CATEGORIES: 1999 Topps Traded, Los Angeles Dodgers
12/2/21 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 2008 Topps #195 Todd Helton, Rockies
More Todd Helton Topps Cards: 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Remember Don Mattingly's career? For six years straight he was one of the very best baseball players alive; a future Hall-of-Fame induction seemed a mere formality. But then back problems turned Mattingly into, well, just another guy for his final six years and he never came even remotely close to getting that bust in Cooperstown.
In many ways, Todd Helton's career matched Mattingly's step for step (except Colorado had the sense to make him a full-timer almost instantly). From 1999-2004, Helton put up some spectacular numbers—much like Mattingly. Then physical problems slowed Helton down (like Mattingly) and he was ordinary for most of his final years (like Mattingly).
However, UNLIKE Mattingly, Helton's HOF vote percentage has increased every year. At 45% in 2021, don't be surprised to see Helton join longtime teammate Larry Walker as the only Rockies in the Hall.
Here, Helton is fresh off his age-34 season. Though his once-prolific power remained on the decline, he still had a quality 2007 season—capped off by completing Eric Byrnes' (of Arizona) 6-3 groundout to send Colorado to their first ever World Series!
THIS CARD: For the second straight month, a 2008 Topps card is our second selection. Which is fine by me, since 2008 Topps happens to be one of my 10 favorite Topps sets ever.
That signature can only be described as elegant and beautiful. Helton's got Hall-of-Fame penmanship if nothing else.
More from Helton's 2007 season: though no longer the focal point of the Colorado lineup, he led the team in walks (by 35) and OBP (.434). On 7/4, Helton somehow drove in five runs despite just one hit (which was a double). And on 9/16, his 300th career bomb (off the famed Mauro Zarate) keyed a 13-0 blowout of the Marlins.
(flip) It says a lot about me that at age 41, I still immaturely reacted to the word "erect".
In his final six seasons, Helton was only able to eclipse 35 doubles once (2009, 38). His 592 lifetime two-baggers rank 20th all-time.
This is something of an error card, since none of Helton's many league-leading stats from 2000 are bold/italicized. On Helton's 2007 and 2009 Topps cards, the stats WERE bold/italicized; no idea what happened here.
AFTER THIS CARD: Helton lost half of 2008 with an ailing back, but then bounced back with a .320 season to help the '09 Rockies back to the postseason. Continued problems with his back cut into Helton's 2010-11 seasons, then hip surgery helped limit him to .238 in 69 games in 2012.
Helton retired after a 2013 season spent sharing time at first base (with Jordan Pacheco); he finished up with a .316 average, 2,519 hits, 369 homers and 1,406 RBI over 17 seasons...all with the Rox.
Todd Helton debuted with a Draft Pick card in 1996 Topps, then appeared annually in the base set 1998-2014 (yes, he got a Sunset card!)
CATEGORIES: 2008 Topps, Colorado Rockies
12/3/21 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 1989 Topps #436 Bobby Meacham, Yankees
More Bobby Meacham Topps Cards: 1987 1988
I didn't get into MLB until after Bobby Meacham's playing career ended. And though I've since caught him in action via classic broadcasts on MLB Network and YouTube—most notably as part of HOF catcher Carlton Fisk's double-tag blooper/highlight—my lasting Meacham memory comes from his days coaching first base for the Padres.
You see, when combustible Padres OF Milton Bradley began his infamous argument with umpire Mike Winters late in the 2007 season—the one that ended with him wrecking his knee—coach Meacham was the first to try and get Bradley under control, which to this day no one has proven capable of doing. Then Meacham barked at Winters (who was later found to be the instigator) a bit before giving way to manager Bud Black. An all-round ugly scene.
Here, Meacham is fresh off his sixth season with the Yankees, though he wasn't all that visible this time around after a pinched nerve in his neck ended his season in July. Once New York's full-time SS, the 28-year-old started just 29 games (across three positions) in 1988.
THIS CARD: The timing of this pic makes it appear Meacham is reacting to a ball heading toward him. In every Meacham batting clip I've seen, he used an exaggerated crouch, so he's likely shown here waiting for the pitcher to finish cleaning his spikes, spitting, grabbing himself, or all of the above.
Even though every major company's Meacham cards (except 1984 Donruss) list him as "Bobby", Meacham's BR page lists him as "Bob". Which I'm irrationally annoyed by.
More from Meacham's 1988 season: he was used exclusively as a backup by managers Billy Martin and Lou Piniella, completing his long/short fall from grace. Meacham did have three hits, including two doubles, on 4/12.
(flip) Of those seven steals in 1988, three came in consecutive games 5/29 thru 5/31.
For his career, Meacham hit .196 (11-for-56) with zero homers at Old Comiskey Park, so he must have liked it for other reasons. Perhaps it had an extra-roomy visitor's locker room.
That one July hit was a double off Kansas City's Mark Gubicza 7/8, one of only four hits Gubicza surrendered in a shutout victory over the Yankees. Said double was the final hit of Meacham's MLB career, as it turned out...
AFTER THIS CARD: After years of inconsistency and criticism from Yankee owner George Steinbrenner, Meacham was dealt to the Rangers in December 1988 (with OF Bob Brower as the return). Having failed to make the Texas roster in Spring 1989, Meacham was signed by the Pirates and spent the year as AAA depth. The Royals inked Meacham for 1990, but once again he did not escape AAA. That spelled the end of the line for Meacham the player.
Meacham the coach/MiLB manager, however, has enjoyed a long and fruitful baseball life. He's been with too many teams to list here, but I can tell you he's currently a member of Joe Girardi's staff with the Phillies.
Bobby Meacham appeared in 1984-89 Topps.
CATEGORIES: 1989 Topps, New York Yankees
12/4/21 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 1987 Topps #275 LaMarr Hoyt, Padres
More LaMarr Hoyt Topps Cards: n/a
Late-blooming LaMarr Hoyt overcame a less-than-ideal upbringing to become one of MLB's most successful righties over the first half of the 1980's. Originally a Yankees 5th-rounder in 1973, Hoyt joined the White Sox in a mid-1977 trade for SS Bucky Dent. While Dent helped the Yankees win two World Series, Hoyt leading Chicago to the 1983 ALCS was nearly as significant for that long-mediocre franchise.
After going 18-6 as a White Sox swingman in 1980-81, Hoyt became a full-time starter in '82 and won a league-high 19 times. Proving he was legit, Hoyt won 24 of his 36 starts in 1983 and earned 17 of 28 first-place votes in a successful bid for the AL Cy Young Award! He also earned a 6Y/$6M deal in March 1984, big bucks for the times.
The burly Hoyt slipped to 13-18 in 1984 and found himself packaged in a trade to the Padres that December. Here, after a strong bounceback 1985 campaign, Hoyt has closed the book on a challenging 1986. He spent much of the Spring in a drug rehab center, then dealt with a bum shoulder as the season commenced. In and out of the rotation all year, the 31-year-old was not very effective outside of a nine-start stretch from 6/28 to 8/12 during which he went 4-4, 3.03.
THIS CARD: TSR has the inside story behind this pic...
Topps Photographer: "Mr. Hoyt, we'd like to take your photo for 1987 Topps. Can you go over there and look towards me like you're trying to remember where you know me from?"
Hoyt: "Where DO I know you from?"
Photographer: "Perfect!"
We present this card in memory of Hoyt, who died 11/29/2021 of cancer at age 66. Like so many deceased players of the past seven years, I only have a 1987 Topps card of Hoyt to present here in COTD.
More from Hoyt's 1986 season: in one start (9/13 vs. Houston) he was yanked after throwing 13 straight balls to open the game—walking three batters and hitting another in what turned out to be his final big league start. But a highlight was Hoyt's five-hitter over the Cubs 7/3; in that game he walked exactly zero. Baseball is cruel sometimes.
(flip) Dewey is actually LaMarr's given first name too. He remains the only Caucasian I've ever heard of with a name beginning with "La".
That Trade (With The White Sox) sent Hoyt and two failed prospects to San Diego in exchange for SP Tim Lollar, RP Bill Long, UT Luis Salazar, and a SS prospect by the name of Ozzie Guillen.
Murray was in his third MLB season in 1979, and he'd end his career in 1997 having switch-homered in 11 games (4th all-time according to CBSSports.com).
AFTER THIS CARD: The ESPN article reporting Hoyt's death merely states he retired after 1986, but it wasn't that simple. Hoyt continued to have drug-related legal problems and was suspended for the 1987 season (in addition to being waived by the Padres).
The White Sox took a flier on their former ace in July 1987, but after Hoyt's drug issues sprouted up again that December (and eventually earned him a year in prison), he was again let go. There'd be no further pro baseball offers, although he was able to keep the remaining $3M on his contract—much to the Padres' chagrin.
LaMarr Hoyt appeared in 1981-87 Topps, as well as 1985 Topps Traded.
CATEGORIES: 1987 Topps, San Diego Padres, Now Deceased
12/5/21 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 2018 Topps #339 Philadelphia Phillies Team Card
More Topps Phillies Team Cards: 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2010 2011 2015 2016 2017 2019 2020 2021
After finishing 71-91 and in 4th place in 2016, former superstar Ryan Howard's contract came off the Phillies' books at long last and they entered full rebuilding mode in 2017. The result? A last-place finish in the NL East—their third in the previous four seasons.
Philly won on Opening Day 2017 and was actually 11-9 at one point, as the hot bat of journeyman Daniel Nava—who was barely clinging on to his MLB career entering 2017—was an early talking point. But it was all downhill from there, though young SP Aaron Nola enjoyed a very strong second half after a shaky start to the year.
25-year-old Tommy Joseph batted .240 with 22 homers as Howard's replacement at 1B. RP Hector Neris developed into a decent closer with 26 saves in 33 chances. But Philadelphia's biggest story was slugging OF Rhys Hoskins, who belted 18 homers in 50 games after being called up in early August. Despite less than two months in the majors, Hoskins placed 4th in NL Rookie of the Year voting!
THIS CARD: I think I can identify TWO of these Phillies...I think it's Nola on the far left and C Cameron Rupp on the far right. But no prison bets.
Most Topps Team Cards from this era depict team members in some type of celebration, or at the very least doing something exciting. The 2017 Phillies had so little to celebrate, or get excited about, that we're left with a pic of dudes watching Pete Mackanin change pitchers or something.
More from Philadelphia's 2017 season: they also finished strong, winning five of their final seven games including an 11-0 thrashing of the Mets in the season finale. On 9/10, rookie Ben Lively threw the Phillies' first and only CG of the year, going eight innings in a 3-2 road loss to Washington. And also in that 10/1 season finale, SS Freddy Galvis became the first Phillie since Howard in 2008 to play every game.
(flip) Lively and Hoskins were among those 15 debuting Phillies, with 23-year-old OF Nick Williams showing promise. Highly-touted SS J.P. Crawford also premiered in 2017, as did P Mark Leiter Jr., whose dad and uncle Al combined for 30 major league seasons.
That 29-58 first half featured a god-awful June stretch of 13 losses in 14 games—which strangely ran almost perfectly parallel to a 14-game Joseph hit streak. Among the L's were five extra-inning defeats (including consecutive walk-off losses to Boston), one of which saw St. Louis scoring seven against the Phillies in the 11th inning 6/20.
"The pitching wasn't deep" is a nice way of saying the pitching wasn't quality (4.55 ERA, 221 homers allowed). Of the 15 Phillies to throw 40+ innings in 2017, only four (Nola and Neris plus RP's Pat Neshek and Luis Garcia) managed ERA's under 3.60.
AFTER THIS CARD: After the 2017 season, Mackanin was replaced as manager by Gabe Kapler, but despite additions such as Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, Jake Arrieta, J.T. Realmuto and Carlos Santana, the Phillies went 161-163 in 2018-19 and Kapler was replaced by ex-Yankees skipper Joe Girardi. After a 28-32 finish in 2020, the 2021 Phillies led the NL East as late as 8/14 and were neck-and-neck with Atlanta entering the final week.
But they had to settle for a second-place, 82-80 finish, marking Philadelphia's first winning season since 2011. With Harper under contract through 2031, the club will at least be entertaining even if not successful.
CATEGORIES: 2018 Topps, Philadelphia Phillies
12/6/21 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 2004 Topps #540 Magglio Ordonez, White Sox
More Magglio Ordonez Topps Cards: 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
In October 2006, I was asked to help a buddy move. I agreed, even though it meant I'd likely miss Game 4 of the ALCS between Oakland (who I was sorta pulling for with my Giants out of it) and Detroit.
As it turned out, we finished the move a little faster than expected, and we headed to a local bar and grill for nourishment. And they were airing the ALCS!
I arrived just in time to witness the A's absorb one of the most crushing losses in their franchise history. They entered the B9th tied at 3, but CL Huston Street—for a rare time during his A's career—was not effective; after a pair of two-out hits, Tigers OF Magglio Ordonez crushed a homer that initially looked destined for one of the Great Lakes.
So special was the blast, it ended up in the classic MLB Network commercial comprised of the most magical moments in league history.
Here, however, Ordonez is still a member of the White Sox and has just wrapped his sixth full season with the team. His 2003 numbers dipped a bit from his insane 2002 totals, but overall it was another productive year for Ordonez, who led the Sox in hits and doubles in 2003.
THIS CARD: All but a handful of Ordonez's 158 starts in 2003 came as Chicago's cleanup hitter. It's not often that a team's cleanup hitter could plate 99 runners and still face scrutiny, but that's what happens when you average 120 RBI the previous four years.
Ordonez never wore any other number besides #30 in the majors. Other notable White Sox #30's include Tim Raines in the early 1990's and...uh...David Robertson last decade? OF Jake Burger wore it in 2021.
More from Ordonez's 2003 season: he enjoyed an 18-game hit streak in April, and batted .641 (25-for-39) from 7/20 to 7/30! Ordonez also registered three multi-homer games in 2003.
(flip) Ordonez with short hair, as he appears here, seems so OFF now. Maybe because I've seen so many replays of the aforementioned walk-off homer when his locks were flowing.
Six weeks "working out" with Rodriguez...insert your joke here.
Ordonez was also an All-Star in 1999-2001. He'd later be selected to the 2006-07 Classics.
AFTER THIS CARD: Ordonez, who was nearly traded in a three-team megadeal involving Rodriguez in the fall of 2003, underwent two knee operations and missed ⅔ of 2004. Still, Detroit signed the free agent for 5Y/$75M that winter—only to watch him miss half of 2005 (hernia). Following the two interrupted campaigns, Ordonez returned to form in 2006 (.298, 24, 104), a major reason behind the Tigers' charge to the World Series (which they lost to St. Louis).
The 33-year-old was even better in 2007 (AL-high .363, 28, 139) and finished as AL MVP runner-up to Rodriguez. Following a solid 2008 season, Ordonez spent his final three seasons struggling just to stay on the field due to performance (2009, 2011) and ankle (2010-11) issues, and ultimately retired in June 2012 just shy of 38.
Magglio Ordonez appeared annually in Topps 1998-2011.
CATEGORIES: 2004 Topps, Chicago White Sox
12/7/21 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 1990 Topps #779 Lloyd Moseby, Blue Jays
More Lloyd Moseby Topps Cards: 1987 1988 1989 1991
A couple of years ago, an independent league (or possibly an affiliated minor league; I forget) experimented with a rule allowing the batter to steal first base on pitches not caught cleanly by the catcher.
Steal first base? Lloyd Moseby was doing that back in the 1980's!
Moseby's infamous "steal" of first base (which you can see here) in 1987 is one of the funniest things you'll ever see on the diamond, but it belies what a solid player he was for several good Blue Jays teams. The Arkansas native did a little, and sometimes a lot, of everything you'd want from a ballplayer. Plus, he was durable and fun to watch when motoring on the basepaths or in center field.
Here, Moseby has just wrapped his 10th and final season with the Jays—as a player, anyway. He and the team hoped his tough1988 season was an aberration, but Moseby's production remained down in 1989 as his chronic back woes persisted. He still led Toronto in steals (24) and HBP (6).
THIS CARD: As this photo may indicate, Moseby put his all behind most swings. He'd do well in this all-or-nothing, launch-angle era of baseball.
I cannot identify the road ballpark, but I can tell you Moseby slashed .254/.317/.393 away from Exhibition Stadium and Skydome in 1989. Which may not impress you at all, until you realize he slashed .180/.293/.293 AT Exhibition Stadium and Skydome in 1989. Maybe all the construction noise from Skydome's finishing touches screwed Moseby up; he'd always been a solid road hitter in the past.
More from Moseby's 1989 season: on Opening Day, he tripled and scored what ended up as the winning run against Kansas City. He then went 7-for-14 in a sweep of the White Sox in May. And against Seattle 7/22, Moseby notched five RBI—four via a late grand slam off RP Dennis Powell!
(flip) Of those 11 homers in 1989, three led off games. Another broke a 6-6 tie in the B8th and led to victory over Cleveland.
Those 255 career steals still rank first in Jays history, by 49 over Roberto Alomar and about a gazillion over everybody else.
Moseby was the Opening Day CF in each of those seasons except 1988, when he slid over to LF. He batted a composite 10-for-36 (.278) with five runs as an Opening Day Blue Jay.
AFTER THIS CARD: Feeling the Skydome turf was detrimental to his back, Moseby sought a new home after the 1989 season and landed with Detroit for 2Y/$3M in December 1989 (this is actually the 32-year anniversary of the deal). His numbers did improve during Year One as a Tiger, but didn't approach those from his glory period; by season's end rookie Milt Cuyler was starting in CF.
Separate heel (April) and knee (August) injuries limited Moseby to 74 games in 1991, a year he moved to LF exclusively. The 32-year-old went unsigned by MLB that winter and ended his pro career with two seasons in Japan.
Moseby served as Toronto's first base coach in 1998-99 and at last check served as an ambassador for the club. He was also elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018...not bad for a guy who didn't take up baseball until sophomore year in high school! (Thank you, Boys Life Magazine.)
Lloyd Moseby appeared in 1981-91 Topps, as well as 1990 Topps Traded.
CATEGORIES: 1990 Topps, Toronto Blue Jays
12/8/21 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 1997 Topps #492 Prospects
More 1997 Topps Prospect Cards: #206
Jimmy Anderson spent three seasons as a regular—if mediocre—starter for the early-00's Pirates. True, they didn't really have anyone better, but the fact they turned to Anderson over 80 times 2000-02 has to count for something, right?
Reliever Ron Blazier chewed up 92 innings for the 1996-97 Phillies, with highlights such as...getting to meet Terry Francona.
And Jay Witasick lasted over a decade in the majors pitching in about every conceivable role except opener, which hadn't been "invented" yet. He pitched in a pair of World Series and once shut out the Orioles on 137 pitches.
Together...they were 1997 Topps Prospects.
THIS CARD: This is not a random selection; we're presenting it in memory of Blazier, who passed away 12/4/2021 at 50. As of this writing, there's been no cause of death announced.
This is the only time I've ever seen Witasick referred to as "Gerald" anywhere, whether printed or vocally. Fortunately, Topps went with the widely-used "Jay" going forward, which the company doesn't always do.
Didn't Phillies #21 belong to Carlos Ruiz later on? (The answer is no, Ruiz wore #51). Numerous journeymen veterans have donned #21 while passing through; SP Vince Velaszuez had it the past three seasons.
(flip) Pretty sure this is the only subset specifically referring to pitchers as "starters". I'm too lazy right now to confirm whether relievers got the same treatment.
Both Blazier and Witasick reached MLB in 1996, but Anderson didn't debut in the bigs until 1999.
"Draft: Phillies 1995 As Free Agent..." Typically, "Draft" would have been replaced with "Signed".
Interesting how Witasick is listed as an SP even though 25 of his 31 1996 MiLB appearances came out of the bullpen.
AFTER THIS CARD: As stated, Anderson reached the majors in 1999, became a regular Pirates starter 2000-02 (going 22-41, 5.24 in 85 starts), and suited up briefly for the Reds, Cubs and Red Sox before fading away in 2004.
Blazier posted no saves and a 5.38 ERA in his 63 appearances with the Phillies 1996-97. He missed the 1998 season after elbow surgery, struggled in Baltimore's low minors in 1999, then was gone from pro ball.
Witasick got coffee sips with Oakland 1996-98 before emerging as a full-time starter with the 1999 Royals. After some shuffling—including stops with the '01 Yankees and '02 Giants, both league champions—and a return to full-time relief, Witasick stuck with the 2003-04 Padres. He then enjoyed a very solid 2005 with the Rockies and Athletics, but lost the majority of 2006 to a sprained ankle. Witasick's career ended at age 35 one year later.
CATEGORIES: 1997 Topps, Subsets, Now Deceased
12/9/21 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 2011 Topps Update #125 Joel Peralta, Rays
More Joel Peralta Topps Cards: 2012U 2013U 2014
The 2008 Rays lost the World Series, but made three of the next five postseasons under inimitable manager Joe Maddon. One of the bullpen arms Maddon leaned on during those early-10's October battles was the late-bloomer Joel Peralta.
Peralta, who did not pitch in pro ball until age 24, enjoyed a solid early-00's run closing games in the Angels farm system; they finally summoned him to the bigs in 2005, age 29 (though MLB didn't know that at the time; see below). From there, Peralta made 166 appearances for the late-00's Royals (who acquired him off waivers from the Angels in December 2005) before stints with the 2009 Rockies and 2010 Nationals.
Here, Peralta has embarked on his first season with Tampa Bay, who signed him for 1Y/$950K following his impressive 2010 performance. Out of the gate, Peralta shined as a 2011 Ray, registering a 2.19 ERA and just three walks in the month of April.
THIS CARD: According to GettyImages.com, this is Peralta on 4/18/2011 against the White Sox. He pitched the T9th of a 5-0 win, retiring 3B Mark Teahen on a grounder to end it. John Jaso is the Rays catcher shown.
For the sake of accuracy, it's pronounced JO-EL as in Embiid of the NBA, not Joal as in Billy the singer.
More from Peralta's 2010 and early 2011 season: he opened 2010 as closer for AAA Syracuse, and was up to 20 saves when Washington recalled him in late June. His 0.796 WHIP was absurdly lower than any other Nat and his 5.44 K/9 edged out phenom Stephen Strasburg for the team lead as well. Through the first two months of 2011, Peralta had been touched for just one home run and a .174 BAA in 27.2 innings!
(flip) I respect Maddon, but it's hard to picture him sitting around with Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton calling Peralta (of the then-lowly Royals) "The Champion" unless a layer of sarcasm was caked on.
My birthday buddy! And for a time, we had the exact same birthday—until Peralta was revealed to be four years older than he claimed.
Peralta was originally signed by Oakland, but was cut two years later having not thrown a pitch for the organization. This is because he was originally an infielder, one who never made it out of the team's Dominican program. (Which I'll pretend I knew existed.)
AFTER THIS CARD: Over the 2012-14 seasons, Peralta made 225 more appearances for the Rays, most of which were quality—he even led the league with 80 in 2013! After the '12 season, Peralta inked a 2Y/$6M deal with club options through 2017, but after the '14 season Tampa traded Peralta to the Dodgers essentially for squat.
Now 39, the veteran reliever would only make 64 more MLB appearances from that point. About half came with the 2015 Dodgers, who saw him miss a chunk of time with a neck injury and declined his 2016 option. Next, Peralta joined Seattle on a MiLB deal, was cut, then hooked up with the eventual World Champion Cubs for the final five games of his career.
Joel Peralta appeared in 2011-13 Topps Update, as well as 2014 Topps (all as a Ray). If you're interested in Peralta the Royal, Upper Deck can help.
CATEGORIES: 1990 Topps, Toronto Blue Jays
12/10/21 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 2000 Topps #361 Steve Karsay, Indians
More Steve Karsay Topps Cards: 1994 1995 1998 2001 2002 2003 2004
If you visited BaseballReference.com around the 20-year anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, you might have noticed Steve Karsay was "trending". This is because he is the pitcher who served up Mike Piazza's infamous home run in New York's first game since the attacks (a game Karsay was later ejected from).
Here, however, Karsay has just completed his second season (1999) with the Cleveland Indians, who pilfered him in a trade with Oakland after the 1997 season. Following a forgettable 1998 campaign, Karsay—formerly a very promising starting pitcher—became a valuable asset to the Indians bullpen in '99. His 10 wins set a career high and he earned his first career save 6/13.
THIS CARD: We see Karsay attacking with either his mid-90's fastball, or possibly his tough curve or changeup. He also added a splitter in 1999.
Karsay was 4-1, 1.80 in 26 games at Jacobs Field in 1999, despite the fact his WHIP was almost 0.2 points higher there than on the road.
More from Karsay's 1999 season: he made three starts in August, going five innings and winning each of the first two before his luck ran out in the third. Karsay earned his first win of the year with 5.1 strong relief innings at Minnesota 4/10.
(flip) You probably know Karsay missed that 1995 season after reconstructive elbow surgery. He did pitch in 1996...but only in the minors.
That Trade sent RP Mike Fetters to Oakland. Remember, Oakland acquired Karsay from Toronto in the 1993 Rickey Henderson trade and for a time, considered him untouchable...only to later swap him for a past-his-prime reliever they'd sell to Anaheim eight months later. It's a results business, people.
"Reinvented" would have been a better word choice than "reincarnated", unless something happened on that operating table we don't know about.
AFTER THIS CARD: Karsay spent most of 2000 as Cleveland's closer, until deadline acquisition Bob Wickman took over the role. Off to a brilliant start in 2001, Karsay was acquired by the Braves that June, and saved seven games in addition to becoming a footnote to the Piazza blast.
Karsay then inked a 4Y/$22.25M deal with the Yankees to set up for Mariano Rivera; he even saved 12 games in 2002 while subbing for the disabled Rivera. Sadly, that would be it for Karsay as a productive and healthy major leaguer. He missed all of 2003 after rotator cuff surgery, and only appeared in 36 big league games going forward.
The final nine came with Oakland, who rescued Karsay from AAA Buffalo (Indians) in May 2006 to provide much-needed relief depth. However, the veteran already had retirement on his mind, and stepped away a month later. More recently, Karsay has worked as bullpen coach for the Brewers.
Here is an interesting piece on Karsay's connection to the Baseball Hall Of Fame.
Steve Karsay appeared in 1994, 1995 and 1998 Topps as an Athletic, then made the 2000-04 sets as an Indian/Yankee.
CATEGORIES: 2000 Topps, Cleveland Indians
12/11/21 Topps Baseball Card Of The Day: 2015 Topps Update #196 Paulo Orlando, Royals
More Paulo Orlando Topps Cards: 2012U 2013U 2014
The 2014 Royals fell just short of winning the World Series, but were able to go all the way in 2015 having added 29-year-old rookie Paulo Orlando to their roster.
Okay—Orlando wasn't quite the difference-maker I'm implying, but he was a valuable part-time player for Kansas City that year, starting 63 games across all three outfield spots and serving as a pinch-runner/defensive replacement throughout the 2015 postseason.
THIS CARD: Boy, KC didn't waste any time moving on from Billy Butler, did they? The popular longtime Royal left as a free agent after the '14 season and BOOM! A rookie gets his number the next spring. (And it's not like the Royals have a bunch of numbers retired and unavailable, either.)
Fitting we see Orlando swinging the bat here; the man DID NOT take many pitches. In fact, he drew exactly five walks in 86 games during the 2015 season—and only one after 4/21! Butler could draw five walks in a weekend.
More from Orlando's early 2015 season: he made the Royals' Opening Day Roster after going 15-for-47 (.319) with nine RBI during Spring Training, and was with the Royals all year save for a June exile to AAA Omaha. He hit his first MLB home run 5/26, off Adam Warren of the Yankees.
(flip) Orlando finished up 2015 with six triples, tied for second on the Royals behind Omar Infante's seven.
SP/RP Andre Rienzo and C Yan Gomes were the first two Brazilian big leaguers. While the former flamed out of MLB after parts of three seasons (2013-15), the latter has enjoyed a long, solid career including a 2018 All-Star berth and a 2019 World Series ring.
Often times, if a speedy athlete without a lengthy baseball background reaches MLB, he has a hard time using that speed properly on the bases. But Orlando seemed to be an exception, at least statistically—his MiLB stolen base percentages were usually high, and included a 34-for-43 effort for 2014 Omaha.
AFTER THIS CARD: Orlando wound up starting 115 games for the 2016 Royals, most of that in RF after Jarrod Dyson opened the year on the DL (oblique). Orlando finished up with a .302 average and 14 steals in 457 AB, and seemed set to stick around Kansas City for the foreseeable future.
But an early 2017 slump led to a demotion to AAA; there, Orlando injured his shin and didn't return to the Royals until September. The Royals kept Orlando on the Omaha/KC shuttle for all of 2018, and that winter he signed with the Dodgers. In May 2019, the Dodgers sold him to the White Sox, who cut him three months later.
At last check (2021), Orlando was playing for the American Association of Professional Baseball, a 16-year-old independent league.
Paulo Orlando debuted in 2015 Topps Update, then appeared in 2016-17 Topps.
CATEGORIES: 2015 Topps Update, Kansas City Royals